Ryan Leef’s office informs us the Federation of Canadian Municipalities supports Bill C-38, the omnibus budget bill. This is incorrect.
FCM passed an emergency resolution at its annual meeting in Saskatoon earlier this month, calling on the Harper government to remove and reassess legislation in Bill C-38 that impacts the environment, specifically the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the Species at Risk Act.
Members state that they support “common sense” measures to reduce red tape, but the omnibus budget implementation bill “could reduce the Fisheries Act’s ability to protect the environment.” In fact, FCM released a statement on April 27, one day after the budget was tabled, noting concern with the proposed legislation, and the need for further clarification. Nevertheless, the Fisheries minister - and Ryan Leef - continue to name FCM as a supporter.
With regard to Leef’s statement about having to go to a federal election if it fails, since it’s a confidence matter, that is the subject of some interesting discussion, but it’s not a given, especially since so much of the legislation has nothing to do with the budget.
I respectfully suggest Ryan Leef might want to restrain himself from criticizing his constituents for not being well informed about Bill C-38.
Marianne Darragh
Whitehorse